The invention relates in general to munitions and in particular to packaging for artillery ammunition that mitigates or eliminates sympathetic detonation.
Sympathetic detonation (SD) is the propagation of the detonation from one round of ammunition to adjacent rounds of ammunition when collocated in stowage or shipping configurations. SD yields substantial collateral damage including the loss of life and critical military equipment. The problem of propagation of the detonation reaction has existed since initial fielding of munitions containing high explosives. There had been no practical method to prevent SD in packaged high explosive ammunition until the development in the 1960s of anti-fratricide stowage in ammunition compartments for combat vehicles, specifically, the M1 Abrams tank. A safe separation distance and reinforced bunkers/barricades can prevent SD between high explosive ammunition, but this technique is generally applied to stored munitions in ammunition magazines that are properly sited according to their hazard classification for safe storage distances.
Known methods of mitigating or eliminating SD address the problem in stowed configurations onboard combat vehicles, but are not practical for the logistical life-cycle of munitions. An important concern is the transport of large quantities of munitions to a theater of operations. SD during transport involves large quantities of munitions, and can potentially have catastrophic consequences resulting in massive casualties, damage to military and civilian equipment and damage to surrounding infrastructure. An historic example of this occurred in Kuwait during the first Gulf war in 1991. A malfunction in a vehicle's heater resulted in a high number of casualties, with loss of life and military equipment (ammunition, vehicles, etc) as well as damage to the land and surrounding infrastructure. There is a need to eliminate the possibility of sympathetic detonation of ammunition during the logistical life-cycle. The solution must be low weight, space and cost-effective. The technology must also enhance the packaging configuration and possess a level of portability. That is, the device should be easily removed and reinstalled as required during shipping and handling operations prior to a fire mission.